


The Kind of World Where We Belong

by Elivra



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, Eremika Holiday Gift Exchange 2k18, Established Eremika, F/M, Long-Distance Relationship, Other characters turn up but in like minor roles so they're not tagged, Pining, Yumihisu cameo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 08:21:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17260841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elivra/pseuds/Elivra
Summary: My holiday gift for doctorarchangel on tumblr! Organised by the Eremikaweeks blog.Mikasa and Eren are gearing up to spend their first Christmas separated by timezones.Rated for a tiny hint of swearing.





	The Kind of World Where We Belong

**Author's Note:**

> I was supposed to use Beach Boys songs as a prompt; unfortunately I'm not very familiar with their music, so I used one of their song lyrics as the fic title instead. :)
> 
> Here's some pining Mikasa for you.
> 
> Happy holidays, and happy reading!

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

 _That smile_. Goddamn it, Mikasa missed that smile. She wished she could see it everyday, all the time, but they barely managed once a week now.

Eren squinted in the pixelated video. “Are those gifts I see…?”

With a gasp, Mikasa slapped her palm onto the laptop camera. Eren's protests came a full five seconds later because of the delay in their shitty connection.

“Hey, c'mon, I couldn't even see them properly!”

“Wait a sec,” she told him sternly and turned her laptop around. She brought out her blanket and draped it over the pile of boxes she had dumped on her bed, still waiting to be wrapped by her meticulous hands. When she judged everything hidden from view, she turned the laptop around again.

“You can look now.”

“I thought you bought my gift last week?” He grinned.

“I did,” Mikasa shrugged. “These are for the others.”

“And I couldn't see them because…”

“Because you'd tell them.”

“Hey! I can keep a secret!”

She raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Really, Eren?”

He laughed at that, and once more Mikasa's chest twinged with the usual mix of happiness and longing. She watched him sip something from a glass dripping with condensation. Even looking at it sent a small shiver down her back.

“What is that?”

Eren glanced at his glass. “Iced tea.”

“Must be really hot there huh.”

“It is.” His smile turned fond. “You'd love it.”

She pulled her heavy sweater closer around her frame. “Maybe someday.”

She saw him move his hand to touch his laptop screen, and she pretended that his fingers were touching her actual lips. “Maybe,” he agreed.

*

* * *

 

 

“Well if it isn't Mikasa _fucking_ Ackerman.” 

She whipped around, and felt a smirk grow on her face when she saw the other woman. She reached for a handshake, but Ymir batted her hand away and caught her in a quick, rough embrace.

“It feels like years, girl, how've you been?”

“I'm a TA now.”

“Oh, so you'll be Professor Ackerman soon, huh?”

Mikasa smiled. “Doctor Ackerman first. Then we'll see. How are you, Ymir?”

“Staying at home and getting fat, mostly,” Ymir said, but there was no complaint in her tone. “Oh, and,” she yanked off a woollen glove, her grin widening, “happily hitched.”

The gold ring gleamed in the dull light of the supermarket, and Mikasa was glad to note that her voice did not seem forced when she gasped, “Congratulations!”

Ymir hummed, looking genuinely pleased. “Thanks. Sorry we didn't invite you, but there was nothing to invite you to anyway. We just went and signed some shit and exchanged rings. Her sister witnessed.”

“I'm really happy for you,” Mikasa said sincerely.

“Thanks, Mikasa. So, what about you?”

Highly aware of the microwave dinners she had piled into her cart, Mikasa shrugged. “Eren's in Australia.”

Ymir’s eyebrows rose. “Still?”

“Eight months more.”

“Damn. You're a strong girl, Mikasa.” Ymir shook her head. “Don't think I could do the whole long-distance shebang.”

Mikasa turned away, took up a pack of napkins she didn't need. “You would if you had to.”

“I guess.” There was an awkward pause. “Well I guess I'll let you get back to it.”

“Yeah.” Mikasa made sure her expression was back to normal before she turned around. “Take care, Ymir.”

Ymir placed her warm hand briefly on her shoulder. “You too, Mikasa.” Flashing her a rare smile, Ymir walked away.

*

* * *

 

*

* * *

 

 

Mikasa read the messages on her phone for perhaps the tenth time. She knew he'd be busy today, since the holidays were fast approaching. They weren't due for a video call for a few days, anyway. 

Holding back a sigh, she focused on the task at hand, making sure to wrap the edges carefully until a neat package sat in front of her.

There was a faint tinkle from behind her, followed by a baleful meow.

She turned around. “I know. I miss him, too.”

Moon-moon simply blinked, and meowed again, louder.

“You don't care, do you?” She actually sighed this time, getting up. “You just want your food, you fat bastard.”

She paused at the refrigerator, running her gaze over photographs she had imprinted on her mind. She still loved looking at them.

Eren and her, at elementary school. Eren and her, at an ice rink. Eren and her, sullen at a fancy occasion she didn't remember. Eren and her at prom, with their respective dates. (That one always made her smile. What idiots they had been, denying what they had for each other for _years_.) Eren and her outside their college dorm. Eren and her on their first date. Eren and her, at their first vacation together. Eren and her with their degrees.

Eren and her in a selfie taken at the airport. It felt like ages since that last one was taken.

She pulled out her phone from her pocket and held her finger poised above the screen, Eren's name waiting.

_I miss you_

She almost typed it; but she put her phone away, took up her pen, and wrote his address on the package instead.

*

* * *

 

 

The trill of the video call connecting lasted barely a second. There was a click when the call was answered, and the pixelated video feed came into view 

“Hey, how was-” Mikasa stopped abruptly. The person on the screen was not Eren.

“Hello, Mikasa.” His voice was milder than she expected. “It's nice to finally speak to you.”

She recognised him, of course. “Um. Same.”

The video was slowly turning clearer and so was his smile. “You know me, then?” He sounded inordinately delighted.

“Of course. Eren… speaks highly of you.”

He chuckled, and for a second she thought she saw Eren's father sitting there on the other side. “That's good to know. I haven't been the easiest kind of brother, I'm sure.”

“N-no, he's very grateful.”

“What's there to be grateful for? He's family.”

She had nothing to say to that, so she asked instead, “Is he there?”

“Hmm? Oh, Eren?” Zeke leaned back and crossed his arms behind his head. “He's just popped out for a bit.”

“Oh.” When no further information was coming, she continued, “Will he be back soon?”

“Can't say,” Zeke said cheerfully. “He's gone to drop a friend off at the station.” He leaned forward suddenly, the light in his glasses glinting. “They're very close, Annie and him, so it might be a while before he gets back.”

“Oh.” Mikasa looked at the way his smile seemed almost _kind_ , and she clenched her fist on the table. “I'll call later, then. Sorry to disturb you.”

“Such a lovely girl could never be a distraction,” he said gallantly.

“Right. Thanks, um, I'll call Eren later.”

“Alright. Happy Christmas, Mikasa,” Zeke said softly.

“You too,” she managed to mutter before clicking on ‘ _End call_ ’. She glanced outside, saw the snow falling heavily now, and shivered.

*

* * *

 

*

* * *

 

 

Christmas had always been Eren's thing. He was the one that revelled in the decorations, the snowmen and snowball fights, the carolling, and the gifts 

“Christmas isn't Christmas without snow,” Eren had always said, until this year. Since his parents were going to be visiting him anyway, Eren had decided to stay in Australia for the festive season, despite it being summer there.

“Won't you miss the snow?” Mikasa had asked him teasingly, a long time ago, it seemed.

He'd just laughed and said he wouldn't mind trying something new.

Mikasa thought of that laugh, that _smile_ , as she stood outside the store window. Then, squaring her shoulders, she went inside and made her purchases.

*

* * *

 

 

“Moon-moon, _no_!” Mikasa wailed, but it was too late; her brand new fake Christmas tree tipped over and fell with a crash. _Again._  

The ringing of her phone probably saved the miserable cat's life. With a huff, she turned away and slouched over to her desk.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Mikasa.”

“Armin!” She gasped and sank into her chair with a smile, irritation forgotten. “How are you? How's London treating you?”

“It hasn't killed me yet, but it's trying its best. It's so _cold_!”

Mikasa laughed, and kept laughing for a while as Armin regaled her with his stories about adapting to British culture. She missed him too, she realised. Armin was her best friend and he always had a way to make her smile.

“So, how’s Eren?”

Mikasa hesitated. “Busy.”

“I'm sure. I haven't spoken to him in _months_.”

“Yeah, he's… got a lot on his plate.”

“Always one to take as many responsibilities as possible,” Armin remarked wryly. “He hasn't changed at all, has he?”

Mikasa was smiling again. “No.”

Armin chuckled warmly. “God, I miss you guys.”

“We miss you too,” Mikasa said softly.

*

* * *

 

*

* * *

 

 

“So, you got my gift yet?”

“You sent it already?” Mikasa gasped.

“Of course.” He grinned at her. “You've _got_ to open my gift on Christmas day.”

Mikasa smiled. “I won't open it till then.”

“Good.” She watched him check his phone. “Hey, Miks, listen. The guys here are planning a little trip around Christmas time-”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. There's some hiking and some pretty good views. It looks really good.”

Mikasa fiddled with her wristwatch -an old gift from Eren. “You're going then.”

“Yeah. We're leaving the day after Uni breaks, actually.”

“So…” Mikasa struggled to keep her tone even. “No calls until after?”

Eren leaned forward. “I'll call you, of _course._ Maybe not video calls, though.”

She swallowed hard and simply nodded. “Okay.”

“And… maybe not during the trip. They say cellphones are pretty much useless out there.”

“Okay.”

He stared at her in the pause that followed. “Are you mad?”

Mikasa sat up. “Eren, we've discussed this. I'm not going to be weird and clingy about stuff like this.” She forced a smile that she hoped would look genuine in the pixelated video. “You go have fun.”

Eren smiled, then reached out and touched the screen again. “I wish you were here, Mikasa.”

 _I wish_ _you_ _were here_ , she wanted to say, but simply said. “I love you.”

“Love you more,” Eren shot back, and they both laughed.

*

* * *

 

 

The package came when there were only a few days left for Christmas, and Mikasa nearly skipped down the hallway to her door. She hurried inside, dug out her craft scissors, and attacked the wrapping.

She failed to see the stamps, so when she opened the box to see a beautiful pair of soft, crimson gloves, she felt a strange twist in her chest, which was explained when she opened the card that was inside the box.

_Just adding to the ensemble._

_Merry Christmas!_

_XOXO_

_Armin_

Mikasa sighed and couldn't help smiling. Armin was referring to her favourite scarf, the one Eren had given her years and years ago, which matched the fluffy wool of the gloves in the box.

She ignored the disappointment she felt and sent him a thank you text.

*

* * *

 

*

* * *

 

 

Sasha had insisted on spending Christmas Eve with her. Mikasa had tried to get her to change her mind, then finally gave up. Sometimes, Sasha could almost be as stubborn as Eren.

“And so Jean, the absolute _idiot_ , goes and asks her-”

“Hey, Sash?” Mikasa said suddenly. Sasha looked up from her mug of hot chocolate.

“Yeah?”

Mikasa reached across the table and grasped her wrist warmly. She didn't have to do this. She especially did _not_ have to bring all these sweets, or the gourmet dinner made by her own hands, or the stupid dangling toy that successfully distracted Moon-moon for hours and kept him from bothering Mikasa.

“Thank you,” she murmured, and Sasha beamed at her.

“What are best friends for?”

“And-” She glanced at the clock behind Sasha. “Merry Christmas.”

“Ohmigosh!” Sasha nearly spilled her hot chocolate as she scrambled over to Mikasa and caught her in a bone crushing hug. “Merry Christmas!”

 _Maybe this'll be a nice Christmas after all_ , Mikasa thought to herself, laughing.

*

* * *

 *

* * *

 

 

Sasha had to leave early in the morning, and Mikasa couldn't sleep after she left. The good mood that Sasha had brought seemed to have disappeared along with her. Mikasa sat listlessly on the couch, her gaze resting often on the crumpled, half-decorated plastic tree that Moon-moon had finally gotten bored of.

She kept going over old conversations with Eren on her phone, looking at old pictures that sent her, memes and selfies alike, and felt worse with every passing minute.

When he'd first told her he wouldn't be coming that year, he had assured her that she wouldn't feel his absence. He'd be sending her multiple gifts like every year, she would have her Christmas lunch with his parents like every year, he'd be right there on the video call with her all day. She wouldn't even notice, he'd said.

Biting her lip, she shot him a line of text on her phone before she could regret it.

When no reply was forthcoming, she tossed her phone aside with a sigh, and turned on her laptop instead.

She was always a little possessive in nature. Early on in their relationship, she and Eren had gotten into a lot of fights because of it. She had understood, tried hard not to seem so 'clingy’, as he put it. She _had_ tried, and it _had_ worked.

She was still trying.

Was it too clingy of her to want to be with him? Was it too clingy that she wanted to at least hear his voice on a day that had always been special for both of them? Was it too clingy to look at airplane tickets to Australia on Christmas morning?

If anything, the prices decided for her, reminded her why she hadn't gone to visit him in the first place. She could have worked on her thesis in Australia, she could have even worked with her partner on the paper they were supposed to publish soon. No, those weren't her actual reasons; she couldn't go because it was _too damn expensive_. It was why Eren had chosen to live with his brother in the first place. The unfairness of it all stung her and she felt like breaking something.

Her phone vibrated loudly in the silence, and Mikasa jumped in her seat, startled. Then she grabbed her phone.

_Hey Miks did you get my gift?_

She frowned. No greeting, no “merry Christmas”, and no call. She sent him back one word, even more annoyed now.

His replies came a minute later, and Mikasa badly wanted to ignore them.

But she couldn't.

 

With a sigh, she got to her feet. Just her luck. Of _course_ the package she was looking forward to the most had gotten delayed. Of _course_ it had to happen.

She shrugged on her coat and trudged to the front door. Of _course_ the universe would mess things up for her-

She opened her door and-

-there he stood, with those sparkling green eyes and _that smile_ , beaming down at her.

“Merry Christmas, Mikasa.”

She froze, her jaw dropped. The silence stretched on, and he reached up and scratched his head in his characteristic gesture of nervousness.

“Uh, say something.”

She tried. “Eren…”

He let out a nervous huff of laughter. “Yup. It's me. I'm really here.”

And still she couldn't speak a single coherent sentence because she was utterly, completely _dumbstruck_.

“H-how…?”

And that was when she noticed the bags. He had a _lot_ of bags. Eren followed her stare, and nodded. “I'm not going back.”

She almost stumbled backwards and fell then and there. “W-what?”

“I got myself transferred back for the last semester. That, uh, that's why I was so busy.” His fingers were buried in his hair again. “So _much_ fucking paperwork, you won't believe-”

“But-” Mikasa realised her voice was too high, too loud, and she struggled to calm herself. “You _loved_ it there.”

Eren shrugged, his eyes holding hers captive. “I love you more.”

Her hand flew to her mouth and this time her knees did buckle, but he was already there, already holding her, already sharing his blazing warmth with her.

“Hey, it's okay,” he murmured into her hair, while she clutched at him, at every inch of him she could grab onto, his heartbeat loud and reassuring next to her ear.

“ _Eren_ ,” she practically sobbed and hugged him tightly, loosening her grasp only when he let out a small sound of pain. “I missed you,” she sighed as his fingers gently poked a smile onto her face.

“Missed you more,” he whispered.

“Doubt it.”

“Wanna bet?”

“Oh, you're _on_ .” She tightened her arms behind his neck and pulled him down until their foreheads were pressed together and their noses were touching. “You have _no_ idea how badly I've missed you.”

He chuckled, and she could feel the mirth echo from his chest to hers. “Well,” he smiled against her lips, “maybe I should ask Moon-moon.”

“Or maybe I can tell you myself.” She could hold back no longer and pressed her lips onto his, warmth spreading in her veins and shivers running down her skin at the same time, breathing him in and holding him tight, feeling like everything in her life had finally clicked into place.

The kiss ended too soon, but Eren asked her, “So, did you like your gift?”

She grinned sweetly up at him. “Let me tell you just _how much_ I liked it.” And she kissed him again.

**Author's Note:**

> Aaand that's it! Hope neither of them were too OOC, but well, it's a modern AU Christmas fic, I've made my peace with OOC-ness! :)
> 
> I really hope the "screenshots" are visible because they carry forward the story. If the images aren't loading for you, let me know, and I'll write down a transcripted version of them.
> 
> This *may* be the first time I'm writing established modern Eremika! It was super fun to write, and hopefully it was super fun to read, too!
> 
> Thanks for reading, and happy holidays again! <3


End file.
